San Francisco is full of citizens who swear by their ability to inspire social change, whether it’s through the latest Silicon Valley tech innovation or another progressive movement that brings everybody out to protest or proclaim their beliefs.

And while the people are rattling social mores, they are also enjoying their city’s pervasive social scene, from a nightlife lubricated by Napa Valley’s famous wine, to a strong bar and restaurant culture buoyed by a sizable international demographic.

Things to do during the day also abound, as the parks, beaches, and stunning architecture buzz with the crowds that make the city a top tourist destination, and the outdoor areas are consistently watched over by the ever-vigilant San Franciscans, who care as much about the sanctity of open space as they do about the latest anti-corporate petition.

Unique and refined, fun-loving and hedonistic, San Francisco is the sort of place that inspires strong opinions. Its people revel in pushing social boundaries, and celebrate that fact on a daily basis between their days at outdoor events, festivals, and parades, and their nights at bars, clubs, live music venues, and lounges.

Whether people think of this town as the capital of forward thinking, a tourist paradise, or just another big city with lots of “stuff,” one thing is sure: it doesn’t take much time to have an experience here that makes people say, either with a smile or a shrug, “Only in San Francisco.”

A long-time industrial district, South of Market (SoMa) saw a massive shift during the Internet heyday, when it exploded with hip and young CEOs and dreadlocked computer geniuses selling hundred-pound bags of dog food for forty-five cents – with free shipping.

After the dot-com collapse, the dust settled on this expansive neighborhood, and former corporate warehouses transformed into modern lofts for moneyed professionals who cashed out early, as well as

While the high-rises and office buildings that dominate the Downtown skyline are unquestionably San Francisco’s business center, the shopping mecca tucked beneath them, and centered on Union Square, is easily the heart of all things retail.

Also the name of a small adjoining park, Union Square boasts one of the largest concentrations of department stores, art galleries, high-end salons, tourist traps, and boutiques in the country. If it’s a chain –

Rumor has it the name “Tenderloin” harkens back to the turn of the century, when local cops who patrolled the area received enough hazard pay to afford a choice steak. The city’s first major brothel opened here in 1899, and the present day finds city officials still bemoaning the unmistakable crowds of streetwalkers, drug dealers, and homeless camps.

Looking past the obvious grunge, however, visitors will discover that the Tenderloin and adjoining Civic

San Francisco’s Haight has come a long way since the flower-powered 60s, when it was the epicenter of the Summer of Love and overrun with free-spirited and freely fornicating hippies from all over the world.

But just as it’s often said that those who can remember the 60s probably weren’t there, present-day Haight inhabitants probably weren’t either.

Evidence of the neighborhood’s tie-dyed glory days remain, but the bead/incense/rock poster/smoke shops

Originally built on sand dredged from the Bay, the Marina experienced major damage during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

Despite the destruction, the area was quickly rebuilt – with developers promising higher standards – and is widely characterized today as home to a party-happy young crowd of successful professionals and fashionable scenesters mixed with old-money types.

Some San Francisco residents decry what they see as a vapid singles scene in